One Second Interlude
by depression76
Summary: One was afraid to look back and the other was afraid to move forward. Two very different individuals had to count on each other for the sake of their future. Expect loads of drama, tears and humor in this AU High School fic.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes: **Yes, I do realize that I have other stories that I need to update, but I could not help myself. This one has been sitting in my pc for almost 3 months and I feel like sharing this with the community. Don't worry, I'll still update UFNO and WtD. Their newest chapters will follow soon. Anyway, this chapter is dedicated to Kei and Yuu, my friends over Anime Talkzone dot com. Long live Ricchan! lol

**One-second Interlude**

**Chapter 1.**

The cool April wind blew in through the opened window, making the girl sitting beside it closed her eyes to avoid random things flying in. Amber eyes opened as its owner's gaze wandered down at the wide school courtyard, currently empty with the students inside their classes. It's time like these that made the brunette love tranquility so much. The rare calmness that enveloped the place gave her a sense of peace that she wouldn't get at home or anywhere else. She could let her mind wander freely and for a moment, forget about everything and just be at peace with the whole world.

Pity that it didn't last long.

Tainaka Ritsu let out a sigh as the shrill ringing of the bell signaled the beginning of the lunch break. Scrapping of chairs and wooden desks could be heard as people scrambled to eat their lunch, laughing and chattering with each other. The bored-looking brunette made no indication of wanting to move from her position, currently at peace sitting on her chair, head leaning against a propped arm and gazing down at the now busy courtyard. Her left hand fiddled absently with her opened blazer, feeling the soft shirt underneath that she refused to tuck in to her teachers' dismay.

She let out a yawn as her eyes caught sight of a group of girls, carrying with them pink lunchboxes wrapped snuggly in colorful handkerchief. Annoyance flashed through the once bored amber eyes. Ritsu hated everything girly and pink and wondered who in their right mind would brought lunchboxes to school that looked like it was owned by a first grader.

Her stomach took that moment to rumble quite loudly and reminded her that she didn't bring lunch to school today. Her mind debated between her leaving the comfy zone to get lunch or just bear for another 2 hours and get a large lunch later. This inner monologue, however, was disturbed by a commotion somewhere on her right.

"Ricchan! "

It was her three best friends, currently grouped around a slightly scared looking girl that Ritsu remembered was called Miyamoto Akio, the class' biggest nerd. The brunette's amber eyes immediately noticed that Miyamoto's dark-blue framed glasses was currently being tossed around by her friends, keeping it out of its owner's reach.

A grin came upon her face.

The pigtailed Wakaouji Ichigo caught the flying glasses effortlessly and once she saw Miyamoto heading towards her, Ichigo threw the glasses to her right without a second thought.

Ritsu saw the glasses sailed towards her direction and with lightning reflexes; snatched it out of the air. A smug look appeared on her once calm face as she saw the look of dismay on Miyamoto's face.

"What's this, Miyamoto-san? How come you're not wearing your glasses?"

Her words were almost drowned by Taki Eri and Satou Akane's hysterical laughter, as the two of them clutched their sides. Ritsu gave them a look of amusement, before turning back to the braided bookish girl who was close to tears.

She just love seeing those helpless expression on people "is this your glasses?" the brunette asked mockingly as she tried on the thick glasses before taking it off immediately once it made her head spin. Ichigo gave an amused snort as she sat on Ritsu's desk, watching the brunette taking the attention of the suddenly silent classroom.

""T-Tainaka-san- my glasses- I need-" Miyamoto choked on her own tears and Ritsu could feel pity in her for the poor girl. She was having too much fun though, to let this one pass.

She had to stifle a laugh as she saw Miyamoto subtly rubbed her sides, the girl had bumped against the wooden desks blindly to get to the brunette's desk. Licking her own lips, Ritsu moved to sit down on the window sill by her desk, elevating herself on a higher position than Miyamoto to intimidate the girl even more.

"You look better without the glasses, Miyamoto-san," Ritsu teased as she twirled the glasses recklessly, her smiled widened when she saw fear on Miyamoto's eyes when the girl realized how Ritsu stretched her arm out the window with the glasses dangling on the tips of her fingers "you don't need them to be pretty, right?"

"Totally." Ichigo deadpanned as she twirled one of her pigtails around, to Eri and Akane's snorts of amusements.

Ritsu nodded at Ichigo for the encouragement "see? Even the Hime agrees with you. What say? Glasses off?" the brunette let the glasses slip from her grasp for a second, only to catch it again before it fell further.

Miyamoto was crying freely now, stretching her arm desperately towards Ritsu as Eri and Akane grab hold of her arms. The class was silent, eyes on the group but none were moving, too frightened of the group of girls who was harassing Miyamoto.

Tainaka Ritsu, Wakaouji Ichigo, Taki Eri and Satou Akane were well known throughout the school as the 'Four Fiends', and they held much power over the students due to Taki Eri being the niece of one of the school's chairmen board. They were the girls all love to hate, but dare you make them angry, even the teachers couldn't lend a hand help you. Miyamoto's classmates could only pray for the girl, for none of them dare to step in to avoid the wrath of the four.

Ritsu let out a sigh, torn between boredom at Miyamoto's lack of effort of getting her glasses back and annoyance at the class who could only stare silently and won't lend a hand. What two faced bastards, the brunette thought as she felt her jaw clenched.

With a nudge from Ichigo, Ritsu raised her arm high, aiming for a spot down at the courtyard where she would send the glasses flying. Eri and Akane let out squeals of anticipation which turned into annoyed booing when a short haired girl came out of nowhere and snatched the glasses out of Ritsu's hand.

The brunette was not pleased "hey!"

"Stop being a jerk, Tainaka." Manabe Nodoka gave the group an unfriendly glare as she returned the glasses to Miyamoto, who scampered towards away towards her seat, wiping her eyes on her sleeve as she go.

Akane apparently shared Ritsu's annoyance as she eyed the newcomer with disdain "Don't act so high and mighty, class president!"

" Mind your own business, four eyes!"

Nodoka looked none too pleased with the wording, her gaze hardening with each second that passed between them. Seeing that the girl might blow any second, Ritsu raise a hand to quiet her friends down before turning her amber eyes towards the bespectacled girl calmly.

"Look. We were just having some fun. Live a little, Manabe." The brunette tried to keep her voice polite and neutral though she was feeling more than pissed having her fun disrupted.

"Your _fun_, is harassment for the others. Keep your hands off people's properties or you will find yourself in a bigger trouble." Nodoka glared at the girls one last time before heading towards Miyamoto, probably to cheer the girl up. Ritsu watch the retreating back with an intense gaze, her mind already working to plot some revenge. Her ears tuned in to her surroundings in time to hear Ichigo's words directed to her.

"I thought you were friends since grade-school."

Ritsu propped up one of her legs and leaned sideways on the windowsill before replying "We are. We just don't see eye to eye much." Her current position wasn't exactly the best to have when you're in a short skirt, but Ritsu paid no mind. She loved the feel of a breeze around her legs, but that didn't mean that she liked skirts, oh no.

The bell suddenly rang to signal the end of lunch break, breaking the heavy tension inside the room as the class broke into a frantic scramble. Ritsu's group didn't seem to heed the call as they kept chattering to themselves, still huddled around the back windows which were practically their territory.

Clacking of heels preceded the woman's entrance which took the brunette's attentions at once. She drank in the sight of the tall woman clad in a black suit and skirt that emphasize her curvy figure. It wasn't exactly an hourglass figure, but Ritsu knew many girls would die to have a body like that. Long raven hair tied back into a low ponytail, hiding creamy white neck underneath that plunges down into mouth watering alabaster skin that was uncovered by the white shirt that had its top button undone.

The raven haired woman set down the stack of papers she had with her down into the teacher's desk before she went to stand in front of the black board and saw the group of girls still huddling around the back.

Obsidian eyes flashed of displeasure underneath what Ritsu thought was a dorky-looking glasses. The brunette counted mentally until the incoming call towards her.

"Tainaka-san. Wakaouji-san. Taki-san. Satou-san," the slightly deep voice the woman has vibrated through the air and Ritsu felt her spine shiver slightly at the way her name escaped the woman's lips.

"Did you not hear the bell ring?"

"Are you implying that we're deaf?" Taki Eri snapped back immediately without a trace of respect from her cozy spot by the window.

Ritsu could practically see that the teacher bristled at the disrespect and she found herself currently not in the mood for an hour long lecture from this woman, sexy voice or not. She's been there before, and truthfully, she'd prefer her ears not bleeding when she get back from school.

"We'll sit down. Go." The brunette said dismissively to her friends as she slid off the windowsill she was sitting on and went to sit on her chair properly. The girls around her immediately went back to their seats, grumbling, and the whole class immediately averted their eyes when Ichigo bent down to crush her lips against Ritsu's .

All breath seemed to hitch at the intimate scene.

The kiss was kept purposely longer than usual, and Ritsu felt slightly vindicated when she saw the teacher shook in silent anger out of the corner of her eyes. The brunette let in some delicious tongue works for added fun before the teacher snapped, her temper getting the best of her.

"Wakaouji-san! Sit _down!_" the deep voice rose an octave in anger. Amber eyes saw the amused smirk on Ichigo's usually expressionless face and let the pigtailed girl gave her lips another lick before the latter returned to her seat, acting as though nothing had happened.

Licking her lips and smirking smugly, Ritsu savored her best win of the day and reminded herself to continue the session with Ichigo afterschool. The brunette's smile slightly widened when she felt those obsidian eyes still staring pointedly, _burningly_, at her. The heat intensified when Ritsu leaned back on her seat defiantly and turned her eyes towards the courtyard once more now that the excitement had died down and the Math session begun.

Time to time, the brunette could feel those obsidian eyes flicked towards repeatedly and she had to restrain herself not to look back. Ever since the raven haired woman came in 2 weeks ago, Ritsu had been feeling strangely towards her. At first it was annoyance, for that woman would be teaching Math in her class. Ritsu hated Math with a burning passion, along with everything associated with it. But then the brunette heard the teacher's voice and she felt her anger towards the woman dissipated as quickly as it came, and changed into curiosity.

Maybe it's because of the way the woman speaks, as though she was singing a tune that lulled its listener into fevered delusions. Or maybe it's the way the woman walk, a messy mixture between the small steps filled with shyness of having people's eyes at her and brisk strides as though she wanted to command attention of the room.

Whatever it was Ritsu didn't care, all she knew was that this woman was interesting to her and she would gladly spend any amounts of hours just by staring at her and be lulled by the beautiful voice. The brunette could feel her boredom disappeared and her spirits lifted as she made herself comfortable on her not comfortable wooden chair, ready to spend the next two hours listening to the woman at the front of the room droned on and on about something nonsensical called 'Trigonometry'. This was another form of peace she loved from this school.

A soft chuckle escaped Ritsu's lips when she saw the woman turned red and stammered on a sentence when attentive amber eyes met her gaze.

'_Seems like today's a good day, after all.'_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Ho shit. I forgot to put in a disclaimer in the last chapter 8(. Ah, well, here it is:

**DISCLAIMER: K-On! belongs to Kakifly, Kyoto Animation and Pony Canyon.**

Anyways, don't forget to leave a feedback. I'd love to hear what you think about this, since if no one likes it, I might not continue xD. As usual, beware of choppy grammars and enjoy!

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**One-second Interlude**

**Chapter 2.**

A tired sigh escaped pink lips as two finger messaged the bridge of her nose repeatedly. The sigh was soft enough to be drowned by the excited footsteps of the students as they left for home, but was loud enough to gather the attention of a certain long haired brunette.

"Long day, Mio-chan?" Yamanaka Sawako sat down on the desk beside hers, smiling sagely as though she knows everything.

'_Or maybe she really did' _Akiyama Mio thought wryly '_she's the class' homeroom teacher after all.'_

The raven haired younger woman took a deep breath before answering "yes. I have your class for the last period."

"Oh? What happened?"

Mio massaged the bridge of her nose once more "…it's the Four Fiends again."

"What did they do now?"

"…Wakaouji-san kissed Tainaka-san on the lips when I told them to sit down."

At this Yamanaka Sawako burst into laughter. Her boisterous loud laughter gathered the attention of the other teachers in the lounge and Mio felt her face burn at the attention. She mentally prayed for the woman to calm down, which she thankfully did 3 minutes later.

"That's rich," the brunette took off her glasses to wipe her tears from laughing too much "I _knew_ they were dating!"

At this, Mio could feel her jaw drop in disbelief "B-but, they're both students! And they're both girls at that! H-how could you take this so lightly?" all sorts of images began to flash through her mind, images that made her ears burned when the Math teacher realized where her train of thoughts was headed to.

Sawako bowed at a passing teacher before turning her attention back to her younger colleague, eyes shining with amusement "well, Mio-chan, bonds between girls are beautiful, after all." To which Mio only shook her head in exasperation as she packed up her stuff and shoved it into her briefcase as quickly as possible.

"You hang out with Mugi too much."

"Well, no one could refuse my Darling's charming views after all. Leaving early?" the brunette teacher asked when she saw Mio stood up with her briefcase by her side, locking the drawers on her desk for safety.

"Yes, dinner with the parents." And with a last bow to the teachers still in the lounge, Mio left the room. She went towards the front gate in a slow pace as she returned the greeting of several students passing by her.

It's been 2 weeks since she began teaching in Sakuragaoka High School in order to get her teaching credentials. She was ecstatic at the beginning, having the opportunity to teach at her old High School. But damn her bad luck, Mio was dismayed to find that she was assigned to teach Math in class 3-2, where the resident bullies resided.

The Four Fiends, they were called and Mio silently agreed. The group was composed of 4 people, who were all in the same class.

Satou Akane, the dark blue haired national Judo champion who brought pride for the school. Her medals and trophies adorned the principal's office and the student feared her as much as they admired her. She was known as the nicest of the four, unless if you pissed her off that is.

Taki Eri, was the long haired brunette with a side ponytail. She was a gifted Art student, her talents in them were breath taking and even the people who hated her rude and snappish personality couldn't help but to be awed when faced with her newest masterpiece. Her artworks hung in the local museums and some of them were put in expensive frames which were hung around the school buildings.

Wakaouji Ichigo, the one with the twin pigtailed. The calmest and most expressionless of the group, she was more familiarly known as 'Hime-sama' or 'Princess' by the whole school. Her chocolate brown eyes were as cold as the Arctic wind and her voice was the sound of a sheathing blade. No one dared to say no to her, thanks to the regal aura she had, and if you ever dared to make her mad, be ready for a full verbal assault that would render you into a crying 5 year old. Mio had personally witnessed a teacher bowing to her, when Ichigo walked past him.

And last but not least, was the unofficial leader of the group. Tainaka Ritsu, the shorthaired brunette who was always wearing that bright yellow headband. From what Mio heard from the gossiping teachers, Ritsu was a genius drummer. At age 14 she had several recording companies eyeing her talents and competing to get her to sign with them and record an album. That girl always have that predatory glint in her eyes that always meant mischief for any poor souls that happen to cross her way. Ritsu was known as the biggest jerk in school yet it didn't make sense to Mio that she also had the biggest fan base out of the four.

It was this last girl that bothered her the most.

Ever since the first time she stepped in class 3-2, Mio had a sense of apprehension towards her. Something in her just screamed out a warning every time she met the brunette's eyes, as though telling her to stay away. Mio didn't really have a problem with staying away, she was already having an issue from being stared down by 42 people every Math session. Acting nonchalant, she tried to ignore the pointed look of disdain aimed at her every Math class courtesy of the brunette.

Anyway, Mio was known to be almost always calm in every situation.

But there's just something about this brunette that riled her up and awaken her short fuse of a temper that she had spent much time reigning in.

Mio couldn't shake the feeling that the annoyed look she received from the brunette, slowly and abruptly changed into something different entirely. Since when, the teacher couldn't remember, all she remembered was that one day when she met Ritsu's amber eyes, she suddenly felt her throat clogged up, rendering her unable to speak.

There was something in the brunette's gaze that made her stop talking. Mio had to bit on her own tongue to speak again and she could see, no, _feel, _the amused smile appearing on Ritsu's face. Ever since that day, Mio dreaded the moments where she had to spend time in the brunette's class. If she were able to choose, she preferred the old Ritsu where she glared at her at every waking moment to this new one where the brunette spent the entire Math session keeping her amused amber eyes on Mio's flustered figure.

Another sigh escaped her lips as she reached the bus stop in front of the school. As though not wanting to keep Mio waiting, the bus she was waiting suddenly pulled up and opened its doors, letting the warm air out into the cold April breeze. The Math teacher's obsidian eyes caught sight of a familiar brunette getting into an expensive foreign car, a bright orange Lotus Elise Series 2 which definitely cost more than what Mio made a year.

The teacher could not help but notice that Wakaouji Ichigo got inside the passenger seat and closed the door with a snap before the convertible roared to life and drove away from the parking lot with passerby's eyes following it. Mio mused wryly to herself about how the time had changed without her knowing, and now, High School students started to drive monstrous expensive western cars to school. She kept her gaze on the bright orange car until it disappeared down a curve as the bus she rode turned left to head to the busy highway.

One hour and a stop to a bakery later, Mio arrived at her old house. Her eyes took in the sight of the modest 2 storied house fondly, reminiscing her childhood where she would run around the house happily, thinking of it as a castle and she was its princess. With a smile, she stepped to the porch and rang the door bell. The door opened immediately, as though its inhabitants were waiting for her, and the raven haired woman met a slightly older version of herself.

"Mama," Mio managed to say before her mother pulled her into a bone-crushing hug. The older woman looked a bit younger than women her age, and Mio felt a faint sense of pride that she had the same gene as the person who was choking her right now.

"Let the girl go, darling. She's choking already." The deep amused voice of Akiyama Takahiro sounded over the mother's muttering, getting the attention of the newcomer at once.

"Papa!" Her mother let her go to make space for the girl to envelope her father in a tight embrace which was returned.

Akiyama Saeko gave a sniff as she watched her daughter and husband change pleasantries, her eyes taking in the slender figure of her daughter and thought about how much she had grown up. Meeting her husband's amused glance, Saeko gave a throat clearing cough.

"Let's go inside shall we? It's not nice to disrupt the neighborhood with our reunion." at which her daughter replied with an amused smile before following her father in. Saeko let one smile adorned her face, before she followed her family in, and closed the door with a snap.

~888~

The Akiyama family lapsed into easy conversations as they worked together to set up dinner by the homely kitchen. The conversation ranged widely, from Saeko's everyday activities to Takahiro's work until it reached the topic Mio was reluctant to talk about.

Her new job at a certain school.

She could feel herself sweating bullets as her parents' gaze turned to her in expectation, waiting her to speak as they seated around the rectangle dinner table.

"Well," Mio said as she chewed on an orange chicken slowly as she tried hard to gather her thoughts "my job was…fine. I was offered to teach at Sakuragaoka, which you both already know, and it's been two, um, _interesting _weeks since then." Interesting? More like _horrible_.

Her mother seems dissatisfied with her vague monologue, judging from the small frown on her face and Mio dreaded the words that would come out of her mother's mouth.

"How were the students?"

'_Argh!' _"Um…they were very nice," _disrespectful _"most of them find my teaching easy to understand," _and most slept through the class_ "and they were…an interesting bunch. They were lively, in short." _A freaking handful, _but Mio kept those thoughts to herself as she smiled at her parents, who nodded.

A comfortable pause came between them as the three enjoyed the meal. Mio was too focused on picking at the fish to see the strange glances her parents shared with each other. With a nod to his wife, Takahiro opted for silence and watched as his other half took the plunge.

"Ne, Mio-chan," the long haired girl nod, as she took off her foggy glasses thanks to the steam from the miso soup "are you happy?"

The youngest Akiyama freeze suddenly, before turning to her mother "um…I am?" her parents knew that the girl was confused. With a nudge from her husband, Saeko tried to elaborate.

"I meant, are you happy right now? You are currently single, correct?"

Mio choked on her ice tea at her mother's words. The parents scrambled to calm the coughing girl down and passing napkins to clean the girl's wet face. Mio raised her arms in an 'Okay' gesture and waited for her parents to return to their seat before replying.

"Yes, I'm single, and I'm very happy. What's with the questions?"

Saeko met her husband's eyes once more before speaking "Well…there's this one person from your father's office…and well, we were thinking if you want to go out with this person?"

Mio's mind went blank for a second.

"_What?"_

"It's only one dinner, Mio-chan," her mother tried to calm her raging daughter down "just one short dinner, and you don't have to see him again." Mio looked highly affronted at this and turned to her father, who put down his cup immediately. He didn't really want to choke on his drink like his daughter did.

"Just one dinner," her father's calm voice calmed Mio down as their eyes met "please."

Mio loved her parents to death, and that was no exaggeration. It's just that, as much as she loved them, her parents could get so pushy sometimes it frustrated her to no end! She was a good girl and she knew it, and thus was why her once burning decision to reject her parents' offer faltered immediately when she saw the pleading faces of her mother and father looking hopefully at her.

Mio let out a defeated sigh "fine. Just one dinner." She rolled her eyes inwardly when her mother let out a happy cheer and turned her eyes to her amused-looking father "when is it?"

"Wednesday night, 8 o'clock over at Niwa no Hana Restaurant," Takahiro answered as he tried to get his wife to return to her seat "would you take the car or a taxi?"

"A taxi's fine. I don't really like driving anyway." Mio replied morosely as she rubbed the bridge of her nose tiredly.

An _Omiai._

Her parents called her over to dinner to get her to agree to an _Omiai._

How did she know?

Well, this wasn't the first time they had tried to rope her into it.

Somewhere at the back of her mind Mio knew, that she would regret making this decision somewhere in the future.

~888~

The loud screeching of tires rang through the room, followed immediately by shrill gunshots as the car swerved to evade a wayward garbage bin. The brunette let out a curse as her car grazed the railings when she tried to pull a smooth turn.

"Dammit!" she threw the controller at the screen when her car slid out of control and plunged into the sea. With cuss words escaping her lips, Ritsu buried her head under the comfy pillow, rolling around on the king-sized bed in annoyance as red words bearing 'GAME OVER' flashed across the screen as though mocking her failure.

The sudden shrill ringing of the phone by the bedside table was not helping her mood at all and Ritsu let it ring for about 15 times before she slammed her fist on the loudspeaker button.

"Yeah?" she drawled as she turned to her back and stared blankly at the ceiling.

"_Don't 'yeah' me, Tainaka Ritsu!" _the yell caught the girl by surprise and she fell out of her bed in shock. Scrambling back up the bed, Ritsu gaped at the blinking phone which seemed to pulse with anger.

"Mother?"

"_Yes, I am your mother. Please don't sound so surprised, darling. You know I would call my only daughter every now and then." _Ritsu could see her mother rolling her eyes at this and she couldn't help but do the same.

"What do you need?"

"_I want to remind you about Wednesday's dinner,"_ the short attention spanned brunette fiddled with her XboX controller in boredom _"I hope you still remember?"_

" Yes, I remember. 8 o'clock at Niwa no Hana right?" _Probably one of those dinner party with some snot-faced rich brat again, _Ritsu thought disdainfully. She remembered the unpleasant times she had spent during meetings like that, and she was not surprised to see that she was _not _looking forward for more of those. The woes of being the daughter in a well known family.

"_Yes. I don't care If you wear jeans, dresses," _Ritsu cringed hard at this one _"or even a swimsuit, I expect you to be there, _on time. _Capiche?"_

The daughter heaved out a sigh "Yes, Mother."

Her mother hummed out, pleased at the response, and continued asking about her daughter's day which were answered reluctantly. 15 minutes later, the phone clicked, signaling that her mother had finally hung up and Ritsu let out a frustrated scream into one of the fluffy pillows on her bed.

'_She wanted me to attend those dinner dates? Like hell!'_

Amber eyes burned at the wall.

'_I will not go to the stinking dinner!'_

And the clock chimed loudly in reply.

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**A/N:** AHA. A date chapter next? We'll see 8D


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: K-On! belongs to Kakifly, Kyoto Animation and Pony Canyon.**

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**One-second Interlude**

**Chapter 3.**

Wednesday came far too quickly for a certain brunette's liking.

"Yui!" Ritsu called as she rushed towards a darker shade of brunette head that stood up at the call, done with returning her lunchbox back in her bag "You cannot believe what had happened when you're absent!"

Hirasawa Yui turned to her friend in amusement, it's not every day the great Ricchan-san whined like a kicked puppy "what happened? It sounds interesting!" Yui had been absent since last week's Friday to a cold and just returned to school today. It looked like some excitement had appeared in her friend's life while she was gone.

Ritsu gave a snort and sat on an empty chair across her friend, ignoring the staring eyes of her fellow students as they saw one of the infamous Four Fiends visit the class next door. The stares are getting annoying and the brunette find it pretty hard to stop herself from snapping at them.

Opting for peace, Ritsu returned her attention to her long time friend and told her in a low voice about the dinner date she was supposed to attend tonight. Yui let out a 'hmm' but was not at all surprised, since she knew that her headband-wearing friend had to attend meetings like that ever since they were little kids.

"Then what's wrong, Ricchan?" Yui cocked her head cutely as she stared at her friend's slumped figure by the desk "you're used to things like this. What makes tonight's dinner so different that it gets on your nerves?"

Ritsu gritted her teeth "well, if the fact that my parents have been bugging me since last _month _about this doesn't ring a bell to you, then I don't know why." It was well known between the two that every time Ritsu's parents became nagging of something, it's almost positive that they're planning something behind their daughter's back.

Yui could only cringed at the tone her friend used and pat the girl gently on the head "there, there, Ricchan. That's a good girl." She giggled when a pout came to Ritsu's face, earning a collective gasps from watching students because she _dared _to pat Tainaka Ritsu on the head!

The bell rang and signaled the end of lunch break and Ritsu stood up lazily off the desk with a sigh. With a lazy wave at Yui, the leader of the Four Fiend left class 3-1 and headed towards her own. After she was gone, Yui was immediately mobbed by her fellow classmates.

"Hirasawa-san, you _know _Tainaka-san?"

"Were you friends?"

"_You pet her on the head!"_

Yui could only give a tired laugh as she waved the torrents of question off. Honestly, that childhood friend of hers, she could act like the biggest jerk in the universe and the whole school still loves her.

~888~

Fingers drummed against the wooden desk unconsciously as its owner stare out once more into the courtyard. Hey amber eyes had a faraway look in them, telling anyone who cared to look that Tainaka Ritsu was currently unavailable at the moment.

Her minds whirled with frantic thoughts and half-baked plots in order to sneak off the engagement she was assigned to tonight. The drumming fell into a patterned rhythm as Ritsu's head began to move with the beat.

She was considering the chances of acting as though she slept in through and missed it, but her mother would immediately smelled through her lies. Ritsu had used this tactic too many times before for it to work. Lips pursed as the drumming intensify almost feverishly, earning the attention of her classmates.

Strangely though, no matter how loud the drumming gets, Akiyama-sensei didn't bat an eyelid over it. It was clear to the students' eyes that the Math teacher was currently distracted about something and as the results; she created unwanted chaos throughout the lesson. Breaking chalks into small pieces, ripping papers accidentally, and almost stapled her finger together clean into her file holder. Mio surrendered in trying to teach and resorted to giving the class several math exercises for the them to do until the end of the class, which was also the last period.

With one golden rule which was to _keep quiet._

Unfortunately the teacher was too preoccupied with her own thoughts to notice that one of her students was in the same state as her. Obsidian eyes kept flicking towards the clock, counting the dreaded hours towards the dinner date.

Mio was too nervous to notice that she was tapping her pen along to the loud beat Ritsu was playing from the back of the room. The whole class listened with wide eyes at the melodious rhythm shared between the two and marveled how easily their teacher's beat fell in tandem with the brunette's.

Heads began to move along with the beat, and Mio's foot began to tap as well. Ritsu gave an unconscious two handed drum roll before falling to the original beat, missing her teacher's quick tapping of her pen as the older woman replied with her own quick beats at the teacher's desk.

The end of school bell rang and jerked the two out of their music stupor. The class began to packed their belongings and Mio tried to make herself known as she told her students about the homework due Friday. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw a certain brunette dashed out of the classroom like hell was on her heel. The teacher had half a mind to call the girl back, but a glance at the clock made her changed her mind and dashed out of the classroom herself after her students.

Falling into quick strides towards the teacher's lounge, Mio dialed a well-known number into her white slide phone before bringing it up against her ear. She had to wait several seconds before it was picked up.

"_Kotobuki Tsumugi here, how may I help you?" _letting out a relieved sigh at the familiar voice, Mio smiled as she walked down the stairs, avoiding running students expertly as she goes.

"Mugi, I need help." A gulp "Um…wardrobe help."

The excited squeal the other girl let out made Mio slightly nervous, but she trust Mugi's judgment more than her own in this particular issue.

~888~

Ritsu was half an hour early to the assigned time. Still seated in her prized Lotus, she drummed her fingers on the steering wheel anxiously. Her eyes traveled and eyed the restaurant she was supposed to be in warily. Niwa no Hana was one of the most expensive dining place around. Located at the top floor of a well know 5-star hotel that oversee the whole city, you need a month's reservation just to get a seat. Just by this knowledge the brunette could smell what her parents were planning behind her back.

It would most likely be an _Omiai._

A freakin' arranged marriage, or they wouldn't even bother to spend their money at an expensive place like this.

Ritsu tugged at the collar of her suit impatiently, loosening the red tie she wore until she felt comfortable enough to breathe. She was never one to bother putting on dresses. She'd cross dressed her way through any damn parties and like hell she cared about people staring at her for it.

Her hair was free of its usual headbands, and she kept blowing it off her eyes out of habit. Amber eyes peeked through the long bangs to see the blinking green clock on her car's dashboard.

'7.45' the clock read.

Fingers drummed even faster as Ritsu scrunched up her face in concentration.

Should she or should she not?

Her wristwatch ticked loudly like a ticking time bomb and Ritsu finally made up her mind.

'_Aw, fuck it!'_

The bright orange Lotus roared loudly before zooming out of the parking lot.

~888~

The raven haired woman gave a shiver as she walked towards the restaurants a bit slower than usual, since she's wearing heels 2 inches taller than normal. She smiled at the person who greeted her at the entrance of Niwa no Hana and gave him an envelope like she was told to by her parents the night before. The man gave a surprised gasp and several moments later Mio was ushered into one of the most luxurious looking table of the whole restaurant and had several well-dressed waiters serving her.

After nodding and shaking her head at the offers the waiters made, Mio turned her eyes towards the transparent glass walls on her left, obsidian eyes taking in the beauty of the city during night time. She could feel the appreciative stares of the other costumers and felt her face burn in embarrassment.

Yes, she had literally went all out for tonight.

Under Mugi's critical eyes, the blonde had chosen Mio's dress for her. A long dark blue shoulder-less satin dress that was embroidered with gleaming diamonds was worn for tonight. Accompanying it were a pair of long white gloves that covered the unblemished skin along her arms. Mio's beautiful mane of raven black hair was pulled up into an elegant bun that showed off her neck very clearly, and a golden necklace dipped downwards teasingly towards her cleavage. With a touch of makeup, Mugi had transformed the shy girl into an upper-class lady who took the attention of all males, and several females, that she passed by.

As nervous as she was feeling at the moment, Mio couldn't help but felt like she fell in place in this getup. Almost all the people inside the restaurant were dressed like she was, and it would be awkward if she wore something different. Mio took out her phone and text Mugi a '_thank you!_' before returning her eyes to the outside view once more.

Well, she might as well enjoy it tonight, it's not every day she could eat at a place like this.

What have she got to lose?

~888~

Time actually.

Mio lost her precious time for this dinner date.

It's been an hour since she arrived and no sign of her date in sight. Mio's patience was wearing thin and so does the waiters'. They have been serving her the courses of food for the appointment, which she originally refused, wanting to wait for her date to arrive before eating. After she had waited long enough, with the waiters' insistence, Mio ate through the full five courses by herself. The waiters' were miffed at whoever the woman's date was for not coming and Mio was fuming as she ate for she, quite clearly and obviously, was _stood up_.

Mio was on her fifth helping of the desert, which was on the house thanks to her absent date, and was thinking of going home before seeing a figure making a mad dash across the room towards her.

She took in the sight of messy brunette hair, black messy suit and a pale red tie, and she stood up to meet her date.

The person panted as though they've been running all the way to the restaurant and let out a cringe at the unfriendly glares the waiters' had for them. After taking enough breathing, the person stood up straight and had the grace to look ashamed at the obvious tardiness.

"Good evening," Mio said coldly, making the newcomer cringed even more.

"I'm so, very, very sorry," a husky voice greeted Mio's ears as its owner bowed repeatedly and quickly becoming the centre of attention of the whole restaurant "I'm sorry to have made you wait for so long."

Mio only let out a sigh as she saw the clock hit 9 at night. She turned to the person in front of her, who was looking expectedly at her "are you my date?" Mio asked bluntly, her temper made her forgot to be shy and courteous to strangers.

The person gave an apologetic smile "I'm afraid not. I'm the younger brother, Satoshi," the teenage boy looked familiar to Mio, but she couldn't pinpoint where she had seen that face before "the person you're supposed to dine with today had to cancel due to unexpected change in schedule."

The Math teacher frowned, showing her displeasure "then they should have informed me before hand." At which Satoshi bowed his head low again in apology.

Mio only let out a tired sigh as she gathered her purse and headed out "well, I might as well get home then." She made to pay for the dinner, but Satoshi held her hand before it could get her credit card out of the purse.

"Please, I'll take care of the bill. And, um, if I may ask, how are you getting home?" the boy who looked like he was about 16/17 years old asked as he handled the bill with a waiter before they walked towards the entrance of the restaurant side by side.

"I took a taxi."

"Would you mind me driving you home then?" the boy's blunt words made Mio stopped on her tracks and turned to him in question "I mean, it's the least I can do for having my older sibling stood you up."

Mio considered in refusing him, remembering the news about being attacked by strangers who offered lifts in their cars. But when she met the young boy's _familiar _amber eyes, she didn't have the heart to refuse him. They were shining with honest intentions and if anything were to happen, Mio could always use the pepper spray Mugi gave her before coming here.

With a small smile on her lips, Mio asked as they both entered the elevator "do you have a license?"

The boy nodded quickly.

"Then, I'd be glad for the ride."

Satoshi's face exploded in a full blush and he averted his eyes in embarrassment.

Mio then spent the rest of the elevator ride thinking up ways to make her stinking date pay for tonight. A couple of kicks to the shin, and a dozen of her infamous chop to the head would be enough.

But another uppercut to the head sounds tempting as well.

All in all, she would make that person understand the frightful wrath of a Akiyama Mio.

Hell hath no wrath like a woman scorned, indeed.

If only she knew who this person was.

* * *

**A/U: **Poor Mio huh? *runs*. By the way, thanks for the awesome reviews, guys. You've made my week much, much better. Sorry I couldn't reply to them one by one though. Anyway, here's a question I'd like to answer:

**HayatexBlade: **Her talent? Well, you should ask Ricchan tha- *dodges flying drumsticks*. Haha, just kidding. Ichigo's backstory would be explained somewhere in the future chapters, since it's a vital element to the plot *hints*

Anywhoo, don't forget to leave a feedback, and thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Sorry for the late update! It's finals weeks for me, and my internet's dying, so yeah. Anyways, the thanks for this chapter goes to **RPPuzzle**, my new beta-reader! She's fixed my eyesores of a grammar, so make sure you thank her, kay? She's also gonna be beta-ing my other fics from now on, so stay tune! Hehe, enough babbling, onwards!

**One-second Interlude**

**Chapter 4.**

The rest of the week was probably one of the worst in the history of Ritsu's life. After being found out that she sneaked off on her dinner date, her mother had given her so much _hell _that she almost had her crying in frustration. Even her father was scared shitless when her mother had begun screaming. The brunette was nervous and was more than pissed to be dragged into something she knew was fishy, but she doubted her mother had heard her reasoning amidst all that screaming.

Anyway, her mother had screamed her ear off for the last 2 days, and Ritsu now found both of her ears ringing and she suspected that she might be deaf if that screaming went one minute longer than it did.

Ritsu was currently waiting outside of the teacher's lounge, which Ichigo was called into moments before regarding a test. The pigtailed girl had dragged her along for the trip, even though she knew how much Ritsu hated that place. The short-haired brunette was almost allergic to it, and instead of waiting by the lounge's door, Ritsu stood a little to the left, right nearby the school information board. Hands buried deep in her blazer pocket, she moved around, bounced on her heels, and flapped her untucked shirt in boredom, occasionally sending death glares at staring passing students.

Her amber eyes suddenly lit up at a familiar sight, and the brunette licked her lips in anticipation.

"Good afternoon, Akiyama-sensei," she called out to the Math teacher, who snapped out of her daydream and turned her attention towards the brunette immediately. Ritsu was surprised to see the usually calm face looked severely pissed off and wondered who was the poor soul that had made the woman _this _angry.

"Afternoon, Tainaka-san," the teacher replied as she walked closer to her student before frowning "what are you doing out of class?"

Ignoring the question, Ritsu jumped into another topic immediately "You look _very_ pissed. Did something happen?"

A deep scowl was her reply and Ritsu felt her heart go out to her teacher. She was feeling rotten as hell too!

"Bad day."

"Misery loves company, eh?" Mio looked up at the pissed off tone that the brunette let out; a scowl take the place of the cheeky grin she had 2 minutes ago.

"It sure does."

Amber eyes met obsidian eyes and they both broke out into smiles.

"Anyway, you should tuck in your shirt before Yamanaka-sensei sees it."

Ritsu's smile disappeared immediately and was replaced by a frown. _Way to kill the mood, teach._

"Tucking in my shirt makes me feel suffocated."

"That's the rule. Now, _tuck it in!_"

The brunette hated this topic so she resorted to her last tactic. It's time to flirt!

"Fine. But won't you do it for me, since you insisted so much?" Ritsu walked into the Math teacher's personal space and brought her face close to the older woman's until she could feel the latter's soft breathing on her face.

The teacher's flittering eyes made the wrong decision to meet Ritsu's amber orbs then and there. Both eyes seemed to immediately click together in place like long lost pieces of a puzzle.

In all honesty, Ritsu had never seen such beautiful eyes before. The round obsidian orbs, swirling with numerous emotions that she could spend her time finding out. They were also genuinely clear and expressive, and for the first time in her life, Ritsu finally knew the meaning of that cliché saying about how 'the eyes are the windows of the soul'. She could feel her breathing slow down in awe of the beauty in front of her and the brunette mentally cursed her height, for it was really tiring to stare up into someone's eyes, especially when it's going to take time. But the painful crick in her neck was soon forgotten as she lost herself drowning in the deep obsidian sea of the taller woman's eyes. The faint smell of vanilla came from the older companion, and the intensity of it made Ritsu's head spin.

The moment was perfect, the two of them off in their own world, totally ignoring their surroundings.

But there was something off that bothered the brunette… and it hit her. Hand reaching forward gently, amber eyes could see the subtle flinch that travelled up her teacher's body and she felt a distinct pleasure in being the one who made this usually calm woman nervous. The brunette's hand then gently pulled off the teacher's thick rimmed glasses and was met with clearer view of the woman's eyes. The sight of it made her middle feel funny, something that she'd never felt before.

"You don't need these," Ritsu whispered, eyes not moving from the teacher's gaze. She couldn't believe how gorgeous her teacher was behind the dorky glasses. Without them, Ritsu could clearly see Akiyama Mio's real face, which was bright red and held an expression that was torn between panic and faint disbelief. Their faces inched towards each other unconsciously and their hearts raced in anticipation, until a loud snap of a door jerked the two out of their trances and they quickly moved away.

"Ritsu?" Ichigo's voice came as the girl made her appearance, frowning at her girlfriend and Math teacher, who were both rather red in the face and standing a foot away from each other. The long haired teacher chose that moment to leave after snatching back her glasses from the brown haired delinquent, who seemed to be in a state of comatose.

The pig tailed girl laid a hand on the brunette's cheek, effectively bringing the latter's attention to her.

"Your face is a bit warm."

Ritsu gave her a small distracted grin "I might be catching a cold?"

The brown eyes of the Hime seemed to flash at the insincere grin and the next thing Ritsu knew, she was dragged painfully along the empty corridors by her usually calm girlfriend. The grip Ichigo had on her arm was almost painful, but the brunette couldn't help but notice that the hand holding her was also shaking.

They stopped outside a door, and Ichigo wrenched it open, the loud creak the door made echoed down the silent hallway.

"Wha-oi!" Ritsu was shoved into the empty classroom, and when she turned around towards companion, she was met by a pair of lips crushing onto hers.

Amber eyes widened when the quick, frantic kisses continued feverishly. Her companion took total control of the making out session and pushed the slightly taller girl back until she felt the back of her thighs touch the cool metal legs of a desk.

Ritsu blinked, and she briefly caught sight of long, rectangular wooden tables with metal legs and shelves full of tidily sorted jumbles of files.

They were in the student council room.

Strong hands pushed the two apart, and the brunette looked at her girlfriend, who was flushing red and strangely evading her eyes. This was not normal for the usually calm Ichigo. Steady fingers tipped the smaller girl's face towards hers until finally her brown eyes met her amber ones and Ritsu was surprised to see the girl looking almost fiercely back at her.

"What's wrong?" the brunette whispered, keeping her voice from being heard from the outside of the room "you're acting…strange."

"I hate the way you look at that teacher." Ichigo answered bluntly, her eyes staring at Ritsu's searchingly, and the brunette felt a grip on her upper arms tighten painfully, _possessively _"you're not…interested in her, are you?"

A flash of deep obsidian orbs and the faint smell of vanilla invaded the brunette's senses for a moment, and she suddenly felt ashamed of herself. She wrapped her arms around Ichigo's waist and pulled her close, crushing their lips together almost painfully.

"Of course not," the brunette whispered back "I love you," the traces of vanilla were replaced by a strong waft of strawberry body wash and Ritsu willed her mind to forget about her teacher's long raven hair, mesmerizing obsidian eyes, and the intoxicating smell of sweet vanilla as she pushed Ichigo onto the table and started unbuttoning the dark blazer followed by the shirt underneath. The blue ribbon on the collar came off last and fell gently towards the wooden floor.

Her mouth descended upon Ichigo's slender neck, sucking its way towards the pulse point, feeling the muscles beneath it tense as it found its target. Hands travelled on uncovered skin, caressing, fondling, feeling little hairs stand up at even the softest touch. Their breath hitched as soft moans filled the thick air, occasionally replaced by sudden gasps. The brunette pinned the smaller girl's hands above her head and let her other hand trail up the girl's thighs teasingly, enjoying the pleas that escaped the normally collected girl's mouth.

The air around them seemed to freeze as the hand found its target and felt the whole body go taut. A jerk, gasping of breath, painful grips on brunette hair and finally the release along with a scream that was muffled by a pair of lips.

The two took a moment to recollect themselves, both panting hard and leaning against each other.

Ritsu's eyes turned to meet Ichigo's hazy brown orbs. The brunette noticed the absence of fluttering in her middle when she looked at her companion's flushed face beneath her… and she idly wondered why.

~888~

The long haired blonde snuggled comfortably against the white couch, her eyes focused on the low-volume television across from her as she waited for the owner of the place to arrive. Blue eyes gazed down at her nails, frowned at them, then continued filing while humming happily all the while. The lights were off, but her blue eyes were sharp enough to inspect her handiwork through it.

She was happy, that was obvious.

After spending a day out of town, she was finally back home. Thanks to her work, she had to cut off personal business for a while, and Mugi was a more than curious to know about a certain someone's dinner date. She hadn't met Mio since before the dinner date and was really looking forward to meeting the raven haired girl and getting her to spill some beans for this old friend's sake.

Sharp ears caught the sound of a lock opening and Mugi turned off the television immediately. Tip toeing towards the front door, she waited with a wide Cheshire grin like a cat waiting for its prey. The lock clicked open and a tall form entered the porch before closing the door behind her with a snap. Mio took off her heels and looked up in time to see a blonde blur pounce at her.

"UWAAH!"

The two fell against the cold tiled floor in a heap and Mio could feel her behind protest under her friend's weight. Even so, she couldn't help the grin that appeared on her face as she saw who her attacker was.

"Mugi! When did you get here?"

"Just an hour ago, " the cheerful blonde answered as she helped her friend up and led the way towards the living room after turning on the lights "I was going to Sawa-chan's, but she said she had a meeting tonight and sooo…"

"I feel honored," Mio said teasingly as she went to her tall refrigerator in the kitchen "drink?"

"Anything's fine," Mugi said distractedly, eyes scrutinizing the shelves of impressive wine collections. She'd been in Mio's apartment a couple of times, but she still couldn't believe that her calm and serious friend was an avid fan of alcoholic drinks. It just didn't suit her image.

Mio walked out of the kitchen area with two glasses of cold ice tea and caught the tall form of her friend standing near her wine collection. The raven haired girl let out a smile as she set the drinks upon the glass table, as though she knew what went through her companion's mind.

"I don't drink them," Mugi was jerked out of her musing and turned to the owner of the place, who was now seated on the couch "I just collect them. You know, my pa—dad—got several of them as presents and he isn't the type to collect things…so he just gave them to me. Next thing I knew, I began collecting them like one possessed woman."

The blonde smiled at the wording as she joined her friend on the couch, blue eyes gazed questioningly as she tried to put her questions into one sentence.

"How was the dinner date?"

Mio froze, stopping the glass she had upon her lips.

"I got stood up."

The blonde almost choked on her drink, spluttering softly until she could get a napkin.

"Excuse me?"

Mio let a smile as she saw the revolted look upon her friend's face. It's not every day the calm, graceful Kotobuki Tsumugi-sama looked as though she would like to maul somebody's head in. But to be honest, she shared the blonde's sentiment whole heartedly.

"I can't believe this!" Mugi snapped angrily "and we went all out for that one date! Did your date call to tell you if he wasn't coming or anything?" her friend's head shook side to side in response, which made her even angrier "that- that fiend!" she slumped back into her seat in silent rage, pouting and glaring at the floor.

Mio set down her glass on the table before speaking "it's not so bad though. His little brother came at the last minute, paid for my meal, and even drove me home afterwards. He's a really nice kid."

"Little brother?" understanding seemed to dawn upon the once raging blue eyes, and the math teacher saw her friend suddenly sit up straighter "ne, Mio-chan, where was the date again?"

"Um…Niwa no Hana?"

Blonde eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

"Did you catch the little brother's name?"

"Ah, it's um…Satoshi, I think."

The eyebrows furrowed deeper, and Mio was alarmed at the fierce look she was getting from her companion.

"Last name?"

"He didn't say."

Mugi nodded to herself, still frowning, but with a small understanding smile on her face. The raven haired girl was almost scared to ask what caused the slightly scary smile.

"And you said, your parents told you about this…dinner date?" the blonde asked again and Mio had to blink as she thought back quickly "yes. My dad, I think. My mom was only helping him break the news to me."

And with that, Mugi's smile widened almost maniacally as though she had solved all the puzzles. Blue eyes sparkled with confidence as the girl stood up proudly, raising her right hand and pointing her index finger in triumph.

"And the culprit is…you!" the long haired blonde declared accusingly at the potted plant sitting quietly at the corner of the living room.

Silence.

"Sorry, I've always wanted to try that once." Mugi said with a sheepish grin as her friend broke into hysterical laughter. That girl might look like a high and mighty rich princess, but inside her mind she was anything else but.

The two stopped laughing after a while, but let out the occasional giggle. It was good to let loose every now and then, especially after a long, tiring day of teaching. That word seemed to bring out an unwanted memory, and when Mio caught sight of the light brownish liquid in her glass, she immediately remembered what it was.

Sparkling amber eyes.

And the teacher could feel her face burn while she remembered the close proximity she had between her and the student.

Mugi grinned when her friend's face suddenly reddened. A new development in the love department, perhaps?

"So, you met someone, Mio-chan?" to which her friend immediately jerked her head towards her and shook it quickly. The blonde let out a giggle which she covered with a hand "then what's with the blush?"

"I just remembered something embarrassing. And no, I'm not telling you." Mugi pouted, at which her friend smiled. They both drank their tea quietly, basking in the tranquil silence that would occasionally be interrupted by the passing sounds of the traffic.

Silence was sometimes bad for Mio because it usually meant her mind would wander, and more often than not, it would wander to unwanted places. The topic of 'dating' and 'finding someone new' reminded her of painful memories of the past.

The violent kisses, the rough touches, the painful beatings of her heart as she saw large hands coming at her. The maniacal smile that always accompanied it never failed to make her tremble in fear, even now. Her hands curled into fists as her eyes scrunched shut to get rid of the memories. Her breathing quivered as she remembered the overpowering fear.

She had taken off those suffocating chains years ago.

She was free now…right?

Mio flinched hard when she felt arms around her and turned to see her blonde friend enveloping her in a tight embrace, which she returned. Warmth immediately flooded her senses, the chilling cold hands that gripped her heart loosened. The memories faded into nothingness and she felt her once clammy hands return to normal.

"I'm sorry," Mugi said softly, not letting her friend go "I made you remember unwanted things."

Mio shook her head as a small understanding smile came to her face "it's fine. It's in the past anyway. I'm alright now."

'_I'm…alright.'_

The scar on her abdomen throbbed dully.

* * *

_Dont forget to leave feedback guys, I'd love to hear what you think! And thanks for reading 8)_


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**A/U: **Just one word, "Finals". Oh, and Mizuki Nana, she has taken captive of my soul. Anyway, the usual thanks to RPPuzzle for betaing this chapter, and also thanks to all who reviewed! Please proceed with the reading, and dont forget to leave a feedback :D

**One-second Interlude**

**Chapter 5.**

The brunette ran down the wide stairs quickly, not wanting to be part of the family reunion, which was quickly becoming some kind of old-people gathering. She hid behind a pillar when several waiters came by carrying a heavy table between them towards the ballroom and rushed towards the empty corridor once they were out of sight.

Man, she really hated gatherings like this, why didn't her parents understand that?

Loosening her tie with one hand, Ritsu speed walked towards the front door with her other hand rummaging around her pockets in search of her car keys.

Where are those damn things?

"Nee-chan!" Ritsu turned to her right to see her younger brother step out of a room. She felt herself grin when she saw he was dressed in a white suit that he insisted he would never wear. The brunette waited until her brother was closer before she continued walking.

"Mom finally got you to cave on wearing that suit, huh?" her brother blushed and Ritsu grinned, slapping him on the back "you look like you're ready for a wedding!" The two laughed at the old joke. Ritsu would often joke that whenever Satoshi was told to dress in white by their parents, it meant that they wanted some yummy grandkids soon. The older sister was saved from that kind of predicament because she's a girl and Satoshi's the heir of the Tainaka family.

Not that Ritsu minded. She hated being tied down.

"By the way, here are your car keys," Satoshi took out a jumble of keys on a drum keychain out of his suit pocket and handed them to his sister "you left them in your room."

"Ah, thanks. What were you doing in my room again?"

"Mom told me to get you to meet the family." Ritsu cringed at this, she was just there dammit! Apparently her brother saw her expression and he caught on. "You already did? Where are you going now, then?"

"Anywhere but here."

"Nee-chan!" Satoshi stopped in his tracks, looking a tad disappointed in his sister who turned around at the call "but you just got home a little while ago!"

Ritsu sighed and motioned for her brother to continue walking "I know. But if I knew that mom and dad wanted me home for a gathering like this, I wouldn't have come in the first place. This party's full of crap and I don't even know half of the people who came anyway."

"Me either. I didn't know our grandparents spawned that many kids." The younger brother flinched when Ritsu burst into laughter at his deadpanned reply. He only grinned at her reaction, knowing she'd share the same sentiment. Most of the people who came probably weren't part of their family, but rather were the usual people who tried to leech off the Tainaka family's fame and fortune.

Ritsu's laughter died down eventually and they walked the rest of the way in silence, listening to the faint hubbub coming from the ballroom, which now seemed far away.

"By the way, nee-chan," Satoshi began again, prompting a 'hmm' in response to continue "I met your date that night. You know, from the dinner you bailed out on?" That took his sister's attention, as the black suit-clad girl stopped walking to give him her full attention "she's a really nice woman. I think you should apologize to her for not coming."

Satoshi was a nice kid, and she understood why he told her to apologize. But Ritsu wasn't the type to say sorry easily, especially to a person she didn't know, so being mean about what happened didn't bother her. When she looked at her brother's amber, pleading puppy-dog eyes, her big sister mode was activated, causing her to give in to his request despite herself. She then ruffled the messy and short brown hair on the taller sibling's head fondly.

"You're a good kid, you know that?" Satoshi let out a grin of embarrassment at the familiar gesture from the sister he adored "and I owe you one for that. I'll apologize once I see her, that's a promise." The boy grinned happily at hearing her words. They walked down a short flight of stairs and headed towards the entrance where Satoshi decided to speak his mind once more, before his sister left.

"That woman really was nice," he said suddenly and Ritsu had to stepped backwards to meet his eyes, as Satoshi was a foot taller than her "nice, and really pretty too. And I like her."

One eyebrow rose on the older sister's face "…okay?"

"Do you mind if I pursue her?"

That statement there, Ritsu didn't expect. She looked at her brother in bewilderment, afraid that she had heard his words wrong. When nothing more came from him, she let out a sigh "Satoshi, listen, she's _way _older than you— "

"She's 22." Satoshi interjected and Ritsu found her right eye twitching.

"And she probably has a boyfriend— "

"She said she's currently single."

"Well, then she's probably gay, like me— "

"She's bi."

Ritsu face palmed at the fact that her brother really did his homework correctly. She met her brother's expectant eyes wearily, as though expecting him to spout more facts about the date she was supposed to have. When none came, Ritsu let out one last sigh "do you like her that much?" to which her brother nodded confidently. She hated to be the bearer of bad news, but she had to say this for her brother's sake.

"But you do know that she's…promised for me right?" Satoshi looked surprised at this, not expecting this talk at all "I mean, mom and dad, once they're set on something, they won't back down after one failure. They'll make me meet this girl again and again until they're satisfied. Do you still want to pursue her now?"

Satoshi looked guiltily at his well polished shoes "If you don't mind…" he mumbled.

Ritsu gave a smile and pat his arm "I don't mind. Just…don't do it too aggressively. Respect her wishes as well, okay?" to which he nodded happily in agreement. With one last pat, the older brunette walked towards the front porch, twirling her key ring around a finger. She stopped when something came to mind.

"Don't forget," she called over her shoulder, stopping her brother from climbing up the steps and made him turn around "she's still _my _promised." Ritsu gave him a teasing grin and headed for the mansion's personal garage without looking back, completely missing the surprised look on her brother's face.

Her smile disappeared immediately once she turned the house's corner, walking briskly towards the large garage which held the family's transportation.

'_Satoshi's interested in her?' _Ritsu let out a snort as she pushed a button on the garage wall, opening the large right door of the building _'just like him, to be interested in what's mine.'_

Her little brother Satoshi was, for a lack of better term, _perfect_. He's handsome, he's tall, he's athletic, and he gets good grades in school—basically, the exact opposite of her. He was the type of person people loved to adore and worship. Satoshi was chosen as the heir to the Tainaka family business on his 9th birthday and was currently working part-time in their family's company. But Ritsu didn't care about those things really. She loved her brother very much and they were each other's best friends.

But there were times when she really, really hated him for being the way he was; _too _nice, _too _naïve, _too _trusting, _too…_perfect. She loved him too much to be able to truly hate him, and this fact was what frustrated her the most. The few rare moments this feeling surfaced in her, Ritsu immediately felt like killing herself out of guilt.

She was a very possessive person, and she acknowledged that fact. What belonged to her, she wouldn't relinquish to anyone else, under any circumstances. She would hold onto them tight, and never let go.

'_And Satoshi was interested in the girl…the girl who was supposed to be MY date,'_ Amber eyes burned behind her sunglasses as she brought her Lotus out of the Tainaka mansion driveway _'She was promised to ME. So…even though I bailed on the first date…I won't let this one go.'_

Because there were too many things Satoshi had already taken away from her.

~888~

Ritsu's mood had spiraled downward completely when she reached the highway. This was one of those days when you felt like crap and that suddenly the whole world had ganged up on you to give you more crap.

Her car's top was open and she spent the whole car ride driving slowly down the road, giving random people the finger, and glaring at them from behind her sunglasses to vent her anger. They were too intimidated by her car to react and that gave Ritsu a sense of satisfaction.

It wasn't until somewhere after the fuckin' roadwork (roadwork that took almost 2 whole lanes and made Ritsu wait 15 minutes for cars to move) that Ritsu saw the form of her salvation. Grinning for the first time since she left her house, Ritsu immediately pulled over and sat on the top of her seat waving "Akiyama-sensei!" The call made other people in the bus stop look over at her, but she ignored them as though they were a bunch of expired potato chips.

The raven haired woman, who was peacefully reading a paperback novel, visibly twitched and looked up at the call. The brunette let out a hearty laugh when she saw the teacher blink in confusion.

"Um…" the older woman walked closer albeit hesitantly and suspiciously "do I…know you?"

Ritsu blinked and it wasn't until she started to scratch her forehead that her teacher's reaction clicked."Hang on a sec," the brunette bent sideways and rummaged through the dashboard before pulling out something yellow and wore it on her head "ja-jaaan!" The look of shock on her teacher's face was priceless and Ritsu mentally kicked herself for not bringing a camera with her to capture this hilarious moment.

"Tainaka-san!" Mio screeched out loud with one hand on her chest, her paperback novel falling with a soft thud on the concrete "what are you—where did you—are you wearing a suit?"

Ritsu rolled her eyes before vaulting over the passenger seat's door to reach her teacher by the sidewalk "Yes, I'm wearing a suit. I just came back from a family thing. What are you doing?" the brunette eyed her teacher's attire and took in a purple long sleeved shirt, a black girlish vest and snug dark blue jeans. The woman had her hair tied in the usual ponytail and wore it over one shoulder, and Ritsu was dismayed to see that those dorky-ass glasses were still on her face.

"I'm waiting for the bus."

"Thank you for the report, Captain Obvious!" she gave a mock salute as the teacher glared at her "but seriously, what are you doing? The buses are going to be half an hour late because of the roadwork, didn't you read the announcement?"

"E-eh? Roadwork?" Ritsu only nodded and pointed at the bus stop notice board where the announcement was shown. She'd come across this piece of news randomly during the several times her car had to stop because of the roadwork.

Her math teacher jogged over to the notice board, the others waiting by the bus stop on her heels, and they all had thunderstruck looks on their faces as they read it. People then started to scatter away immediately like leaves blowing in the wind and left behind a very lost looking Akiyama Mio.

Ritsu pocketed her hands and whistled as she waited by her car pointedly.

Mio still hadn't moved a muscle.

Ritsu jumped on her obnoxiously bright car and winked at the frozen raven haired woman like someone from a car insurance commercial.

Mio's right eye twitched visibly.

The brunette let out an annoyed snort "Are you going to just stand there looking like an idiot much longer? Coz if you are I'm going to get some chips and a drink while I wait."

"B-but, I'm going to be late!" Mio suddenly let out a sob, making the brunette fall back into the car seats in shock at the sudden waterworks "If I had known, I would've waited by the bus stop in front of the station instead! And now I'm going to be half an hour late for sure!"

Ritsu poked her head out from behind her car door to see the usually calm woman crying and wiping her nose on her sleeve like a kid , hiccupping helplessly all the while. She let out a small smile at the adorable scene and stepped out of her car before opening the door to the passenger seat.

"Come on then, I'll drive you."

Mio stopped crying for a second and blinked through teary eyes "eh?"

"I said I'll drive you. So get your behind over here" Ritsu jerked her head towards her car which had garnered people's envied stares "before I count to three and get the hell out of here."

The math teacher made it in the car in less than 2 seconds.

Ritsu laughed as she clicked in her seatbelt with the woman on the left mirroring her, albeit meekly "You're really childish, has anyone ever told you that?"

"And you're very rude." Mio grumbled, looking out the left side of the car to avoid Ritsu's teasing eyes as she wiped her nose on one of the tissues her student offered her.

"That's my middle name," the brunette grinned as her orange Lotus merged in with the other speeding cars on the road "other than '_jerk_', '_bitch_', '_heartless_' and…oh, '_horn dog_'." She was pleased to hear the teacher giggle at the joke "so, where to?"

"The hospital down by the riverside."

"The one with the university?"

Mio nodded, but was unable to answer since she was too busy holding her hair back from whipping across her face. Ritsu watched for a few moments before pushing a button near the gear stick. Suddenly there was a whirling sound, and the black re-tractable top of her car covered their heads and joined the front windshield with a loud snap. The brunette then closed the side windows and thus ended Mio's hair trouble.

Mio blinked at her grinning student before looking away with a blush when she realized what had happened "Thanks."

The infuriating grin just got even wider "Don't mind, don't mind! I'm used to having girls with long hair ride in my— HOLY CRAP!" the car suddenly swerved sharply to the left as a metallic blue, 2-seater Bentley zoomed past them. Ritsu growled and gripped the steering wheel hard, managing to regain control before speeding up to chase the mother fucker. Good thing today was Sunday and the roads were mostly empty.

The insides of Mio's bag had fallen out somewhere during the swerve and a frantic hand tried to gather it all in as she fearfully watched the needle on the speedometer rise quickly "Tainaka-san! You're going past the speed limit!"

"I-don't-_fucking_-care!" Tainaka Ritsu snarled as the orange Lotus raced between surprised honking cars towards the metallic blue Bentley, which didn't seem to realize its incoming demise. Ritsu shifted the gear, stepped on the gas pedal, and the Lotus shot forward like a bullet, eventually passing the Bentley as though she were racing a grandma on a bicycle. Ritsu looked in the side mirror to see the Bentley driver' s jaw drop at the speed of her car. She grinned, lowered her window and proudly gave him the finger before slowing down once the Bentley was out of sight.

All was silent in the car as Ritsu closed her side window "Fun, eh?"

"FUN!" the brunette yelped in pain when she felt a piercing pinch on her left arm "YOU TOOK YEARS OFF MY LIFE WITH THAT STUNT!"

"God, they don't condone teacher's violence these days teach!" Ritsu rubbed her arm as she felt her eyes tearing up. Her teacher made no reply, only huffed and looked away.

"And that 'finger' was rude." Mio added after a while.

A maniacal grin graced Ritsu's face at that remark, which Mio had the misfortune of seeing "That was nothing. If that fucker somehow managed to put a dent in my baby, _I'd skin him alive._"

The math teacher face palmed "I shouldn't have gotten in the car."

"Too late! You're already in for the ride of your life!" and the orange car took a sharp U-turn that made Mio's heart jump up to her throat

"Waa! What the—! Your right—! Watch out for that car—STOP GRINNING AT ME AND KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD!"

20 minutes of screaming, yelling and much laughter on Ritsu's side later, Akiyama Mio arrived in National University Hospital's parking lot with windswept hair, a pale face, clammy hands and shaking legs.

"I am not…no more…" Ritsu only grinned innocently as she opened the passenger door for her teacher who exited the orange car with shaking knees. The brunette raised her hands up in defense when her teacher turned to her and glared fiercely, glasses lopsided and all.

"Not a word—" Mio wheezed at the brunette, a finger pointing threateningly "not even_ one_ word at school."

The brunette nodded with a huge cheeky grin and the teacher was not pleased to see her glare had failed dismally. "Not a word, okay? I mean it."

"Gotcha."

The teacher took deep several deep breaths to compose herself—obsidian eyes still burning holes through a certain someone—before she looked down at her wristwatch.

She was 10 minutes early.

Mio let out a relieved sigh as she straightened her glasses and smoothed down her wrinkled clothes. She hated being late, which she would probably be if it wasn't for her student. The woman turned to her right and was a bit taken aback to see piercing amber eyes staring straight at her.

"Y-yes?" she stammered and that stopped Ritsu from staring "what's wrong?"

"Well…um," The brunette looked away and scratched her head awkwardly "are you…sick or something?" She wouldn't admit it out loud, but Ritsu had been wondering about her teacher's condition ever since the older woman said she wanted to go the hospital earlier. Especially after that racing episode on the way, Ritsu couldn't help but get a _bit_ worried.

Mio seemed to catch onto this, as she gave Ritsu a small smile "no, not really. I'm just here for a checkup. Your driving won't affect me, don't worry." she added teasingly and the brunette had the decency to look a bit guilty.

"Well then, thank you very much for the ride. I'll see you at school." After a bow, a smile and a wave, Ritsu found herself staring at the retreating teacher's back that disappeared behind automatic glass doors of the hospital entrance. The long silky black hair whipped behind her figure with every footstep, not unlike those scenes from the movies.

The brunette shoved her hands in her suit pockets and leaned back against the passenger door thoughtfully.

'_Should I? Or should I not?' _

A small smile appeared on her face as she pictured the familiar smile of Akiyama Mio lingering upon the air around her.

'_I should. No harm in trying, right?'_


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: K-On! belongs to its respective owners.**

**A/N: **This is the beta'ed version! There are changes, but hopefully, you guys can enjoy it better now ;D. Big thanks to RPPuzzle for betaing!

* * *

**One-second Interlude**

**Chapter 6.**

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The small door opened with a loud creak that was very unexpected judging by its size. Mio cringed at the loud noise it made as she entered the room; her grand entrance had successfully taken all the attention of the people inside it.

"Ah, early as always Akiyama-san," the familiar doctor, Mizushima Akiko-sensei, smiled at her old patient and warmly "Please, sit down" the doctor motioned to the chair in front of her desk.

Mio only let out a smile as she sat down on the offered chair, not exactly knowing how to reply to the doctor's first statement.

'_I'm early because one of my students drove me here at 220 km/hour?'_

No, that would be too much trouble. A smile was all it was worth, the math teacher thought, as she eyed Mizushima-sensei, who was reading the sheets of paper a passing nurse gave her. She knew it was procedure, and that she'd done this several times before, but this part of a doctor's appointments was one of the most nerve-wracking of the entire session. Mio couldn't help but fidget as the air filled with suspense on what Mizushima-sensei would be doing to her today.

That sounded so wrong.

The math teacher let out a sigh.

"So," the brown-haired doctor asked as she shuffled and set down the heaps of paper down "what is the problem today?"

"It's…an old problem," Mio couldn't help but feel a bit pissed that she had to explain it all over again when she had told a nurse several days ago when she made the appointment "about…you know."

The doctor seemed to catch onto her words and immediately told her to lie on the…operating table? She didn't really know what it's called and didn't really care. After placing her bag on her chair, she took off her shoes before lying down on the less than comfortable mat upon the table. The mat sagged in complaint and Mio had a sudden urge to go home and start dieting.

Mizushima-sensei then came forward with both hands wrapped in sterile rubber gloves and brought several with her on a metal plate. Mio didn't really get a clear look at them, but she thought she saw balls of cotton and a bottle of alcohol, the smell of which never failed to make her nervous.

The doctor saw her tense and let out a small laugh "I thought you'd get used to it by now."

"To be frank, I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing my own blood."

"Then don't look." she said teasingly. Mizushima-sensei knew that the younger girl would always _unfailingly _manage to take a peek at the treatment and pass out immediately afterwards. It created a panic the first few times she was here, but as time went by, it became a habit and Mizushima-sensei learned to laugh it off. Only the doctor though—Mio wouldn't stop looking mortified when being told she fainted, _again_, for the umpteenth time after treatment.

Without being told to, the math teacher pulled up her purple shirt until it was just above her chest, breathing deeply all the while. She felt the doctor's hands trace around the one thing that was troubling her, and she winced in pain, causing the doctor to frown. The plaster on the abdomenal area was opened slowly, and Mizushima-sensei's eyes widened. "It's bleeding."

Mio could only nod weakly in response as the doctor began to dab the wound with a cotton ball dipped in alcohol. She hissed at the slight pain, even though the alcohol cooled it down a bit. "When did it start bleeding?"

"A few weeks ago. I thought it would stop after a while," Mio took another deep breath "but it never did. It bleeds like crazy whenever I changed the bandage."

The cotton was replaced, this one soaked with more alcohol "And the plaster?"

"Just changed it this morning. It took a while to clean up the blood." The math teacher's face paled as she remembered the event. She suppressed a shiver at the memory.

The doctor let out a small smile and turned around to address the attending nurse, "We have to bandage it, and this time the bandage will be on for a while." Mizushima-sensei turned back to her pale patient with new cottons, "For now, we'll use the cottons to drain out the dirty blood and close it with bandage once the blood thins enough."

Mio tried to keep her expression under control as the doctor treated the wound. She failed.

"But this is very strange," the doctor said several moments later when she had finished bandaging up her patient's middle. Said patient was now sitting quietly across from her with a slightly pale face yet listening to her every word intently, "Wounds like this shouldn't be bleeding after it becomes a scar."

Mio could only give a faint shrug in reply as she nursed the coffee the doctor had given her after she woke up. Yes, the math teacher had fainted during treatment once again.

She could feel her doctor's eyes quietly scrutinizing her, and Mio felt it was best to stay quiet and pretend as though she didn't notice. She wouldn't want to faint again so soon after she'd woken up, and the expression on the doctor's face right now looked as though she was thinking about how to break a bad news to her, the ever fragile girl she was.

Mio decided to take the plunge—the suspense was killing her. "You know the reason, right?"

"It's psychological."

She almost lost her grip on her Styrofoam cup. "Excuse me?"

"The most possible reason is psychological." the doctor leaned back on her more comfortable chair to lessen the tension of the revelation. "We have seen all kinds of wounds that would re-open after closing, and that mostly applies to post-operation wounds. Yours, however, was not from an operation and left a scar, which is a new layer of skin upon a deep wound. And yet this wound kept bleeding at certain times, and stopped randomly on different intervals. The last time it bled was a year ago, right?"

Mio nodded silently, she was almost afraid to ask, "And…?"

"There's a probability that this wound is linked psychologically to you, or in other words, to your trauma."

The clammy hands upon the cup tightened, and Mizushima-sensei's tone became gentler when she saw the gesture.

"I can help you set an appointment for therapy. Not about the wound, but about…" she trailed off hesitantly, but Mio knew clearly what she meant.

It all came flooding back—the ghosts of touches that lingered on her body. The violent grips. The shackles that bound her wrist…and that cold hand that gripped her heart.

The familiar, overwhelming _fear_.

Her lungs tightened and she could almost see it again, in front of her.

As though she was pulled back to the past without her consent.

"Mio-chan!"

Mizushima-sensei's voice snapped her out of the trance, and Mio found herself blinking rapidly at concerned pair of brown eyes.

"Y-yes?"

"Ah, about the therapy…" The doctor forgot to be professional and had fallen back to an old habit which she had abandoned once Mio had reached her twenties. That moment just now where Mio almost lost it was enough to awaken her motherly instinct towards this patient who she had known since she was small.

The math teacher gave a small cough to clear her mind and to give time to recollect herself.

"I-I have to refuse. I'm quite busy this year, as I was given the task to teach high school seniors," she was rambling and the woman across from her knows it. Mio took a deep shuddering breath, "And…I wanted to get through this on my own. Please."

Mizushima-sensei was torn between exasperation and understanding. She understood, because if she was in Mio's position she might feel the same, and yet exasperated at how stubborn her patient was. Shaking her head, the doctor let out a defeated sigh.

"It's your choice. You just go out there, and do your best, and I'll be here to take care of the rest."

There was nothing left to do, so Mio let out a smile as she stood up to leave. They exchanged thanks and Mizushima-sensei made her promise she'd call earlier next time if anything like this happened and not wait until weeks after.

Well, hopefully this won't happen again.

Something came to mind when she almost went out the door, "Sensei?" she doubled back to the doctor, who was halfway done re-arranging her desk. She was met with raised eyebrows and continued.

"How do you…get over a trauma, exactly?"

The older woman had a thoughtful look on her face and tapped her nose accordingly.

"Well…I don't know for sure...but I think…you have to move forward to get over them."

Mio frowned, "…Move forward?" her obsidian eyes looked questioningly at her doctor, who stared straightly back at her.

"Move forward."

Mizushima-sensei's eyes were telling her to do _something._ Problem was…Mio had absolutely no idea _what._

The doctor was the first to break eye contact as she let out a small laugh and broke the tension.

"Well…you're still young, so it might be easier."

_Huh?_

"Good day, Akiyama-san."

A dismissive tone and a mysterious smile. As expected of a doctor to leave the patient with a cryptic advice that said patient would have a hell of a time trying to understand. But Mizushima-sensei had done so many things for her that was even out of her way as a doctor. She had trusted Mio to take care of herself after _that _incident when no one else would and had kindly let her off what would have been a month's worth of hospitalization.

Mizushima-sensei trusted her and it would be almost insulting if Mio would not do the same. Since there was nothing left to do, Mio bid the doctor farewell and shut the small white door with a snap.

~888~

Hospitals were one of the places Mio didn't really enjoy visiting, but today's visit was out of necessity, so she had to bear it. Holding in her breath so the strong waft of alcohol didn't reach her nose, the math teacher weaved in through the crowd expertly. With her eyes set on the hospital entrance, her mind was focused solely on getting out of this place as quickly as she could.

Her middle flexed uncomfortably with every step she took, reminding Mio of the wound that never heals.

The scar.

The permanent chain that tied her to the past.

Her heart wrenched as she remembered.

Her hands immediately turned cold and clammy.

This…was why she didn't like hospitals.

Her footsteps quickened as she rushed towards the entrance.

She had to get out…_now!_

_The musky hot breath caressing uncomfortably on her neck. _

_The suffocating hold around her wrists._

_The uncomfortable weight settling down upon her middle._

"_You are mine forever, Mio…You'll never-"_

"Wait!"

Mio's heart shot up to her throat when she felt a hand grabbed hold of her wrist. Her mind spun, her pulse quickened, and she felt her blood run cold as her memories broke free from its floodgates.

She acted on reflex.

_SLAP!_

The slap rang out like a gunshot inside the wide hospital lobby. All movements seemed to stop and the hubbub ceased immediately as all eyes turned towards the two.

Time seemed to slow down as Mio took in the sight in front of her. Obsidian eyes widened as she saw a familiar brunette, eyes wide with shock at seeing the girl's left cheek starting to bruise from the slap.

"Holy shit!" Tainaka Ritsu took a step back in shock as a hand rose up to baby her stinging cheek. That small action pulled Mio back from her thoughts and a gasp escaped her mouth when reality sunk in.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" The math teacher quickly said, watching in horror as her student stared at her wide eyed "I'm sorry! I—my hand moved on its own…!"

Ritsu raised a hand to halt the barrage of apologies, "Its fine…I probably deserve it anyway, for scaring you." She saw that her teacher looked a bit spooked and pale, and that's why she came over to ask what's wrong…and that ended up with her getting slapped good.

_Owwie…_

Mio was still looking stricken and the onlookers were not helping. She quickly grabbed the sleeve of Ritsu's suit and pulled her outside the lobby, so that they were standing by the steps leading to the parking lot. The cars' engines would drown out their conversation.

"I'm sorry, again," she said genuinely, "Are you alright? Is there anything I can do for you?" A slap didn't leave any lasting damage right? It won't—it won't tear skin or gums or something…right? Paranoid thoughts started to whirl inside her mind, just like always when she panicked.

Ritsu was looking thoughtful for a moment, as she rubbed her still-stinging cheek.

Yes, it was that _hard _when her teacher slapped her.

And the anxiety of waiting for Ritsu's reply was killing Mio softly.

"…Well, how about a date," the brunette asked, "to compensate for this injustice…?" a finger pointed at her bruised cheek.

The math teacher had to blink at that, afraid that she was hearing things.

"….Excuse me, but…come again?"

The drummer sighed, "You and me. One date and I call this even. Deal?" Amber eyes looked very hopeful for some reason that Mio did not know. This suggestion was as mad as suggesting that Mio teach her 3-2 class clad only in a swimsuit for an entire month!

She could not help but let her jaw drop and stare long and hard, her mind trying to process what she had heard correctly, and how to respond to it without having her voice croak out mid-sentence. It's amazing how this teenage girl could ruffle her feathers sometimes.

"Tainaka-san…that's….very…bold of you," she began with a sigh "but no, anything but that."

A date _date _with one of her student? A girl nonetheless! Well, not that she had any problem with the last part but…

Ritsu had this shocked look on her face that would make people think that Mio slapped her again in the same spot for the second time.

Yes, she was that shocked.

No one had ever refused to go on a date with her.

_Never!_

This was hurting her pride...amongst other things.

"What! Why?" came the persistent questioning from the stubborn brunette. She was never one to give up, even when things looked bleak to her—especially on girl problems. Ritsu won't lose without a fight in this battle to acquire a date with the charming Akiyama-sensei!

Mio's eyes shifted around, trying not to look into the burning gaze of her student.

"Just_, because!_" the teacher replied back. Well that was not much of an explanation there, but it was the best she could do with this pressure.

"Care to elaborate?"

"I'm a girl— "

"I don't care."

"—and I'm your _teacher!_"

"Again, don't care. One date?"

"_No!"_

The Math teacher massaged the bridge of her nose in exasperation. She was so mentally exhausted from arguing with this persistent girl that she didn't even notice that passersby's were either giving them amused looks or thumbs up at a certain brunette. Their argument had gone public since minutes ago, to Mio's obliviousness.

Ritsu tried her luck once more, clearing out her throat this time.

"Is it because you're too old for me?"

An eyebrow twitched from the older woman, "I'm only 22."

"Then you have a boyfriend— "

"I'm single— "

Ritsu blinked and scratched her head, "Are you gay then?"

"I'm bi!" Mio almost squealed in rebuttal.

"Why do I feel like I've held this conversation before?" It's as though Ritsu has had this conversation with someone before…but where and with whom…?

Her eyebrows scrunched up in thought, but her thought was broken by her teacher who raised an eyebrow at her in confusion.

"Excuse me?"

A sigh and a wave of the hand from the shorter girl, "No, no, nothing. Anyway, please?" And the drummer had finally resorted to begging.

No, it's not that she's desperate for a human companion…it's just that…she had seen her teacher's face earlier when she left the doctor's office. A troubled face that just screamed out at her, as though asking for help. What could Ritsu do about it other than act on her instinct? She was never one to wait anyway.

But the first thing that had come to her once she got close to the older woman was to grab said woman's wrist and be mistaken for a pervert. And even though she was slapped and yelled at for something she didn't do, Ritsu just couldn't and wouldn't let her teacher leave just like that right now. This date could help her with whatever she's feeling, and well, that's pretty much why Ritsu was persistent about this.

If only Mio could read minds, she would have understood her student's intention clearly. But alas, she couldn't and all that she had in her mind was utter confusion at how persistent her student was.

"…No, I can't." Not only because this girl was a student, Mio was just not ready for things like this yet. No matter what shape or form, her heart just wouldn't let her.

"Tainaka-san, I'm sorry…but no, I have to refuse."

And as though she was trying to end the conversation between them, the math teacher waved down a cab. She quickly got into the car before Ritsu could think of a comeback and left without another word or explanation to her student.

The drummer was left behind, dumbfounded and confused.

'_What are you running away from…?'_

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_Anyway, I posted some of my drabbles and the unbeta'ed versions of my story updates on my blog. So if any of you guys want to pester me to update sooner, come check it out. Thanks again!__  
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	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: K-On! belongs to Kakifly, Kyoto Animation and Pony Canyon.**

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**One-second Interlude**

**Chapter 7.**

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Tainaka Ritsu was known as someone who was prideful, slightly arrogant, and confident and definitely one of the lady killers. Never had in her life she had someone refused her.

Never.

Until that particular day in the hospital.

It still irked her to no end whenever the conversation in the hospital lobby replayed in her mind like a broken tape. Over and over and over again…without end, creeping up to her when she least expected it.

Her subconscious was such a masochist sometimes. Her pride stung, and her heart hurt a little bit….a _little! _But yet, the rejection scene kept repeating itself in her mind.

Was that some kind of a reminder or a warning that she shouldn't have asked out someone who's like years older than her who at the same time was her math teacher?

…

_Nahh._

With a light groan, Ritsu sat up on her bed and yawned widely before rumpling her head. Dressed in a wrinkly t-shirt and shorts, it was clear that she had just woken up from a deep sleep. And yet, from the baggy eyes, it seems like it wasn't that good of a sleep.

"G'morning," the drummer said lazily as she exited her room, walking past by her brother who was already dressed smartly in polo and jeans. Yes, they're siblings and yes, she's older. Don't judge people based on their appearance, was what Ritsu like to say. But then again, judging these particular siblings was not very hard, when the older sister dresses like a slob while the younger brother dresses like a wealthy businessman on vacation.

Satoshi opened his mouth to say something— but Ritsu had already fled before the words even come out.

She didn't need any lectures about _discipline _and _tidiness _after she woke up, thank you. It's enough that she has her mom after her with that lecture, she didn't need her brother to be on her case too. This was why she never liked coming home every weekend. Family time was supposed to be nice and refreshing, but spending time with _her _family only gives her aneurism.

The drummer headed to the vast, clean, pristine yet empty kitchen to get herself some breakfast. Cereals and milk in a large bowl, she poured herself a glass of orange juice and blatantly ignoring the pacing of the person that had been tailing her.

"Satoshi," annoyed, she finally spoke out "if you have anything to say to me…_say it._" He's been hovering over her with this worried face lately, and yet whenever she asked him what's wrong, the boy would always shake his head and said nothing. After a while she's sick of that same answer, and Ritsu swear to god if he's going to reply to her in this same fashion she's going to hit someone.

The brother, thankfully, did not do the same thing this time.

He stopped pacing and sat across from his sister, looking at her with those same worried eyes.

"Nee-chan, are you alright?"

His sister raised her brow at him as she kept shoving cereals in her mouth.

"I mean, you've been looking pretty down." Satoshi bit his lip before continuing "Ever since you came back during that weekend party." He's pretty close to his sister, so undoubtedly he kept an eye on her like how she to him. To everyone else's eyes Ritsu might look like her usual self, but he knew her well to see that she's lost some of her usual cheer when she came back after storming out during the party that day.

It bothered him, but he didn't want to pester her with questions. The better part of him wanted to give her space until she's ready to talk (or being asked questions) but another part of him wanted to ask her immediately because he's worried. He hadn't seen his sister look that down for a long time, and his brotherly instincts were screaming at him to get to the bottom of this.

Weeks had passed, and he thinks his sister had enough time to mope. Now, it's time for the little brother to do his job.

"What happened?" Satoshi noticed that Ritsu had paused in her eating and he took it as a good sign. A bad sign would be his sister tossing her spoon at him and stomped back to her room with a new one in hand.

Said sister looked contemplating as she stared down her swirly white milk filled with cereals. She was kind of hoping that he wouldn't notice, but who she was kidding. They're close siblings and whenever one's feeling off the other would notice. Ritsu gave a sigh of defeat before continuing her eating.

"Nothing happened." she ate another mouthful before continuing "…I just…I got turned down." And it's apparently a big deal if she moped about it. Wow. Let's just hope that her brother was the only one who noticed. She has a rep to uphold you know.

"…What?"

Satoshi's jaw dropped open.

He's never heard of this! His sister's always been, for a lack of a better word, a Casanova for as long as he'd known her. She'd never been turned down by anyone before! And this part of her was the part that he secretly envies. If only he has the same luck with girls…

Ritsu just smirked at the reaction she'd gotten.

"Yeah, first time for everyone I guess." She shoved in the rest of her cereal and gulped down the milk before continuing. "…or not. You've never been turned down by anyone before haven't you?" Ritsu knows that Satoshi has as much fangirls as her…or maybe even more.

The boy blushed at that "I'm not like that!" _'Like what?' _Ritsu's gaze asked and he sputtered before continuing "I-I never dated so I don't know…" He's never pursued anyone before so getting turned down was something he'd never had to experience. All he read about it was from the mangas or dramas he watched on TV.

"Right? It's a nasty thing. Almost makes me think of stopping in hitting random pretty girls."

"…Um…"

"But then again, just give it time and I'll be right back in action."

Satoshi didn't know how to reply to that. He scratched his cheek as he thought of how to reply before a light bulb went off in his head.

"Ah." Ritsu's amber eyes turned to him "I don't know if it fits the criteria…but I _think _I might have been turned down once before."

'_Oh?' _now the drummer was interested. She's never heard of this before!

"Yeah? By who?" The girl must be stupid to turn down her brother. Satoshi's like the cream of the crop.

Said little brother gave her a sheepish grin "By your fiancée."

"…"

Her fian—_ah. _The lady from that dinner date Satoshi bailed her out from.

Ritsu hummed as she nodded thoughtfully "I guess that counts as her turning you down…only _if _you asked her out, dinner not counted." Her brother nodded at that.

"I asked her if she wanted to get coffee with me after that dinner, but she said she's had enough of coffee." _'Yowch.' _She had to cringe at that. But what was her brother thinking? Coffee after a dinner date? He should really read more about this dating stuff…or read more manga. Shoujo manga seems to be the best regarding this problem.

"I see…" She leaned across the table to pat his head "Don't worry, there's always next time."

Satoshi grinned happily at that before snapping back to reality.

"Ah! _I _was the one who's supposed to cheer you up!" So why's she the one cheering _him _up? It's the other way around! The boy looked devastated "Nee-chan!"

The older sister laughed at that and only ruffled his head more in reply. Truthfully, the cheering up she needed was talking it over with her brother. She's back to normal now, but Ritsu won't say anything about that to him.

"I'm the older sister, remember? I cheer you up, it's my job."

"So, what's _my _job then?" the messy haired Satoshi asked with a pout.

A grin came on Ritsu's face as she stood up from her chair.

"Your job is to watch my back and keep me out of trouble, silly. I'm counting on you." And he has been doing that wonderfully. For all the things Ritsu hates her brother for, she loves him just as much. It's a really complicated feeling to have as Satoshi's big sister.

But then again…when faced with the sight of her brother smiling contently at her like this, the only thing she could do was smile back and ignores the uncomfortable churn in her middle.

~888~

Being a teacher comes with quite a few of wonderful perks, in Mio's opinion. It's nothing like you get a humongous paycheck or popularity with the students, no. In fact, in her case, it was the other way around. She's not at all popular with her students (being a Math teacher has a hand in this) and there's nothing to boast about the paycheck. It was enough for her to get by and she's happy with it.

For her, the perk of being a teacher comes in the form of learning. Her job requires her to help the students learn, guide them well so that they can face their future goals easily. And she was content with that. It might be strange, but Mio found joys when she helps her students solves the ever frustrating math problems. Seeing their happy faces when they tackle math problem and achieved good grades gives her a good amount of pride in itself. Not only that, but she's also learning what she can from her students as they work together. Learning in how to teach her subject better and make them more enjoyable…and overall be a better teacher.

It's a good and noble job, and she's proud of it.

Unfortunately, this work field doesn't come with a lot of vacation days. Sure she gets days off during holidays, but aside from that it's work day every day. Even during the weekend! She's okay with it, but there were days that she wished she has extra time to focus on other things.

Obsidian eyes rests on her beloved left-handed 3 colors sunburst Fender Precision Bass placed in a snug corner of the room. That bass has been with her for a good chunk of 5 years and even though it looked slightly worn, it's still working very well. Mio felt her heart swell with emotion at the sight of the bass, remembering her teenage years when she performed in gigs alongside her high school band mates. The band has long broken up of course, with the members going their own separate ways in college, but the love of music stays with her.

Extra time or vacation days would mean a chance to practice her bass or a short jam session with Mugi and Sawako-sensei. However, as inviting as that sounds, the three of them lack proper vacation days and whenever they do have time to meet up, they usually spend it by talking and relaxing.

Mio let out a sigh and shook her head.

'_No need to lament on things like that,' _the girl thought with a smile as she put her headphones back on and went back to the pile of papers she was grading _'As soon as summer is here, we can play again.'_

And she'll do her best in her job in the mean time.

The long haired bassist hummed as her hand circles and crosses things out on the papers she's working on. It didn't take long for her to forget her surroundings and focuses entirely on the work she's facing. The headphones she was wearing blocked out outside noises effectively and helping with her concentration.

Unfortunately, the headphones also block out the sound of her cell phone's ringtone. The white Sony Ericsson W580i walkman phone's screen flashed as it buzzed along to the ringtone from a coming call. The call was ignored for a good ten minutes, but it never stops. And soon enough the phone buzzed its way off the thick book it was resting on, and onto the wooden desk.

The vibration from the phone was maximized against the wood of the desk, resulting in a loud shriek from the math teacher.

"Oh my god!" Mio ripped her headphones off and snatched the still-vibrating phone off the table. A glance at the screen shows 3 missed calls from her mother and the girl cringed inwardly before picking it up.

"Hello, Mama?"

"_Mio-chan!" _her mother's shrill cry rang in her ear and she had to pull away for a moment before listening back _"Mou! You didn't pick up the first three times you had me worried!"_

"Sorry Mama, I was grading papers." And she's still doing it now, one hand working on the papers and the other holding the phone to her ear "Is there anything you need from me?"

A slight pause came from the other side, before she heard her mother sigh.

"_Well…nothing in particular…" _another short pause and she could hear her father's voice faintly from the other end _"It's just…your father and I were a bit…worried, dear. You have been rather distant with us lately…"_

Ah.

Yes, that.

It's no wonder after all. After the fiasco that was her getting stood up on that dinner date, Mio's been avoiding her parents' call. She didn't want to tell them that she was stood up, not when they were looking so hopefully at her when they made their request, and she didn't want to lash out at them in annoyance either. It was their fault that she got stood up in the first place. If she didn't come, that would not happen. Even though she didn't say anything to Mugi, getting stood up hurt her pride as a woman. She's still annoyed at whoever her date was, but not as much as back then.

She let out a small sigh before replying.

"Sorry Mama, it's just been rather hectic lately…"

"_Okay…but the dinner…it turned out well, right?"_

Mio grimaced. She couldn't lie to her mom, but she didn't want her to know the truth either.

Argh!

"It was…okay. The food was really good."

A relieved sigh _"That's nice dear…How about your…companion?"_

A brow twitched at that. Mio panicked a bit because there was no companion at all back then. Her date didn't co—ah.

The little brother.

She did have a companion after all, just not the _right _one.

"He was nice," she thought back to that night "and was very polite too. He's okay, I guess."

"…_He was?" _there was something like bewilderment in her mother's voice and Mio found herself blinking in confusion _"I…I see, dear…" _ from the way she responded, it feels like her mother didn't know anything about her date. If so, then that was not just a blind date. It was a SUPER blind date. Good lord.

A brief pause came between the two. Mio knows that there was more to what her mother wanted to say to her, but she's not really in the mood to start a conversation. She's good with waiting for her mother to gather her thoughts and speak her mind, and hopefully whatever she wants to talk about wouldn't kill her mood for today.

"_Mio-chan?"_

"Hmm?"

"_Are you mad at Mama?" _at this Mio blinked and paid attention _"Because of the dinner thing, I mean…"_

She should've known that her mother's sharp, especially if it's regarding her mood.

"Not really…" maybe a teeny bit "but it's not your fault. It was Papa's idea after all, remember?" She scrunched her brows as she tried to recall.

"_It was. B-but Mama was the one who persuaded him. You see, Papa also didn't want to agree at first, Papa thinks Mio-chan wouldn't be pleased if we set you up again," _the daughter nodded at that because he was right _"but Mama managed to get him to agree to this. And if…this turned out bad, we would stop with the omi—dinner dates!" _her mother had slipped, and Mio rolled her eyes. She was right after all _"No more dinner dates…so, that's why we were rather pushy. I'm sorry, Mio-chan." _

They were pushy not because they wanted her to have someone, but because a part of them just wanted to get this done. If this one last dinner date didn't turn out well, they would stop, and just let her be. Mio knew they were worried about her, and even though she might not like the way they tried to 'help' her, she appreciate it. Her parents have been nothing but supportive to her ever since _that _happened. They were watching out for her so that something like _that _wouldn't happen again. If they could do something about the people who wanted their daughter's hand, they would do it. Anything just for the sake of their daughter's well being and happiness.

There are worse parents out there, especially when faced with a past like hers…and Mio considered herself blessed. There was nothing but affection, gratitude and love that she holds for her parents. Regardless of how infuriating they can be sometimes.

"It's okay, Mama." She said with a small smile "I know you were just trying to help me. But, please, stop with the dinner dates okay? I'm happy with how things are right now, and I think I can do without a significant other for a while longer."

"_Eehh! That means a longer wait for grandchildren!" _The bassist knew that her mother was just joking, and she herself couldn't help but laugh at it.

"Yes, Mama, more waiting for grandchildren," Mio smiled as she doodles stick figures in the corner of a scrap paper "Your daughter is not interested in anything of that sort right now, and she doesn't want to get your hopes up."

"_Awww." _But her mother was smiling, the sign that things are well for now. _"Don't worry about us, darling. As long as you're happy, we're happy." _And Mio's smile only grew.

"_Even so…if you're happy with your date from that night and want to…continue being…friends with him, we're okay with that too. Okay?"_

Well, that didn't last long.

"Mama!"

Her mother's chuckles sounded amused from the other end. It only caused her daughter to roll her eyes even more.

"_Just saying, darling. If you like him, pursue, if you don't, then that's it. It's your call."_

Mio let out a sigh. If she keeps up this phone call, her mother won't stop talking about this.

"Okay, Mama, I understand."

"_Good girl. I'll let you go then, grading students' papers are more important than listening to your old Mama chatter. Make sure you call every now and then okay? Or your Papa might get worried."_

After promising her mother that yes, she would call her father soon, Mio hung up. She let out a sigh as she placed her slightly warm phone back on the table.

Her mother told her to continue hanging out with her date if she likes him. But that's the problem, she hasn't even _met _him. This person didn't even come to her date, so the only possible outcome was for her to just forget this ever happened right? There's no need to expect a second meeting. This person didn't want it, and she feel the same way.

Let bygones be bygones, as they say.

And with that, the girl put her headphones back on and continued with her work. There are still quite a lot to go through, and she would like to finish everything before dinner. It didn't take fifteen minutes for another phone call to break her concentration however.

And Mio, now a bit annoyed, picked up the call without glancing at the screen.

"Aren't we done? Mou!"

"…_Done? But we haven't even started, Mio-chan~"_

The bassist's blood ran cold at the familiar voice.

It seems like her nightmare had caught up to her.

* * *

**A/N: **I've been a bad writer, putting this off for 2 years. Sorry guys, I haven't written in a while, but I'm going to try to get back in the swing of things starting with this chapter.

We're going to start tackling the heavy stuff from now on, and if you guys have any comments or questions, don't hesitate to let me know. I'm trying hard to not make things cliché, and I hope it shows x)

By the way, this is un-beta'ed. If anyone's interested in helping me beta this, shoot me a PM 8) Hope you enjoy the chapter!


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